Thursday, April 2, 2009

Wimbledon selling Centre Court seats

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -The All England Club is selling up to 2,500 Centre Court seats at Wimbledon in five-year blocks for 27,750 pounds ($40,700) each.

The debentures, which guarantee the right to one reserved seat on Centre Court for every day of the tournament between the years 2011-15, will raise about 59.5 million pounds ($87.3 million), Wimbledon said Thursday in a statement.

According to the club, debentures were first introduced in 1920 to purchase part of the present grounds and buildings.


This year's Wimbledon tournament will be held June 22-July 5 and will be the first to feature the new Centre Court sliding roof, which will help alleviate Wimbledon's perennial rain delays.

"The AELTG has invested significantly in the restaurant and bar areas exclusively for the use of Centre Court debenture holders,'' Wimbledon said.